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OWASA draw fire for its ro..e�F, in qu.arry Plant By BLAKE DICKINSON The Chapel Hill Herald 10 CARRBORO — Plans to ex- pand quarrying and asphalt op- erations in the University .Lake watershed and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority's role in those plans drew fire at a public hearing this week. "OWASA should be on the outside making critical state- ments," Carrboro Alderman Tom Gurganus said during the joint public hearing of Carrbo- ro, Chapel Hill and Orange County officials. At issue. was a proposed revision of their joint planning area land -use map and the county's comprehensive plan to allow quarrying and an asphalt plant. l wonder if OWASA would . have the same comments relat- ing to all this if they did not stand to gain (from it)?" Gurga- nus asked. The three boards, their plan- ning staffs and about 30 audi- ence members met in the Carrboro Elementary School au- ditorium to hear comments" about the plan to move the Nello Teer asphalt plant and to allow American Stone to quarry land between its present quarry and OWASA's Stone Quarry res- ervoir. The mining operation would also require the reloca- tion of Bethel- Hickory Grove Church Road east of the exist- ing reservoir by American Stone. When the mine closes in 2030, OWASA would obtain the proposed quarry site and the ca- pacity to store an additional 3 billion gallons of raw water, ac- cording to a four -part agree- ment signed in May 1990 be- tween OWASA, Nello Teer, American Stone and the Philip Durham farnily. The matter has now been re- "I do invite you to come to my home and sit in my living room any time they blast and feel the vibrations. Each time it blasts that impact affects us. We're really getting fed up and there's no place to go. Roy Delon Resident near quarry ferred to the respective plan- ning boards. It is scheduled to come before the Chapel Hill Town Council and Carrboro board in November and the Or- ange County Board of Commis- sioners in January. .OWASA's main mission is to supply an adequate supply of high- quality water to its users, OWASA Board of Directors' Vice Chairman lien Mergner said dur- ing the hearing. "OWASA is a co- applicant ... to foster our mis- sion." Constructing Cane. Creek res- ervoir, which also holds about 3 billion gallons, cost OWASA $20 million, Mergner said. This pro- posal would allow the ' utility to equal that storage without fur- ther cost, without harming the environment and "without dis- turbing a single rural resident or farm," he said. "This pro- posal appears to be a true win - win opportunity." The county, Chapel Hill and Carrboro planning staffs recom- see QUARRY /2 Teer seeks approval to relocate plant CARRBORO — Local elected officials tonight will hold a joint public hearing on a proposal for moving an existing. asphalt plant to land near OWASA's Stone Quarry reservoir. The land is located in the University Lake watershed. If it wins approval, the plan would eventually allow Nello Teer to move and expand its ex- isting asphalt mine near the quarry. The plan to move the ,- mine is spelled out in a legal ' contract that involves Nello Teer, OWASA, American Stone Quarry and the Philip Durham % `farnily. When the mine closes, OWASA would be . allowed to use the abandoned quarry for water storage at no cost, the contract says. The quarry would double OWASA's capacity, ac- cording to utility officials. Tonight's public hearing will involve members of the Orange County Planning Board, the Chapel Hill Town Council and Carrboro Board of Aldermen. It is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Carrboro Elementary School. on rainforest tvttire- CHAPEL HILL -- Rainforests are the topic of tonight's meet- ing of the Triangle Group of the Sierra Club. Greg Gangi will speak at the meeting, which is open to the public, beginning at 7:30 P.M. today at the Church of Recon- ciliation, 110 N. Elliott Road in Chapel Hill.